Rhapsody Afar
by Tallemy
Summary: Amemiya Taiyou, young pilot from Arakumo decides to take matters into his hands to protect his town, however he can't take a step without the aspiring Pegasus Knight wannabe Tenma, who is seemingly unaware of the war raging around him. However things turn for the worse when the council denies Taiyou's request and he is forced to protect his town alone. [Possible TaiTen]
1. Sky Cradle

**[Sky Cradle]**

 **Since the world for the Pirate I Was Meant to be is slowly growing into a mammoth universe, I decided to take a little detour to the kingdom of Raimon with King Takuto. The story takes place after Akane left him, but before the siege of Angler's Reef. But because Taiyou will take up an important role later in the pirate story I really wanted to write something about him.**

 **.-.-.-.-.-.-**

Amemiya Taiyou had been sitting in the same room for almost five hours, walking around like a lion who was locked up in a cage. His visit to Raimon was supposed to be short. Just giving King Shindou the letter, asking him to rethink the situation and then, to offer him Arakumo's suggestion then fly back home with the news. However, the messenger was late.

 _It must be because of Akane's letter,_ he thought while he was staring at the ceiling. King Takuto arrived a day before him, with a letter from Yamane Akane, his fiancée. Apparently she didn't just annul their engagement, but decided to fight alongside the Island Nations as one of their leader. Taiyou had to admit he looked up at Akane for being so bold and going against Raimon and its rock headed council, but she didn't depend on their supplies like Arakumo, his town up in the northern mountains. Ever since the war between the Holy Emperor of Seidouzan and Raimon started and the dragon knights of Seidouzan scorched their field and forests the town was fighting not only the enemy soldiers, but starvation and diseases what easily took down the weakened town folk.

The door opened with soft creak, however it as not the messenger who appeared in the door way, but Matsukaze Tenma the royal guard. Back when Kind Mamoru went missing, and later they declared him dead, everyone thought the boy would be his successor, but fate proved them wrong and instead Shindou Takuto was chosen.

"Taiyou! I knew you will be here!" the boy greeted him, throwing his arms around the young pilot, his blue eyes shone with happiness.

"Tenma, you are crushing my bones!" Taiyou let out a fake-whine and ended it chuckle. He thanked the gods above him, that the boy didn't wear his heavy armour, though it must've meant that he was off-duty for that part of the day.

"You deserve it! Leaving me here so suddenly last time, and then refusing to answer my letters too! I thought you were hurt or worse...!" Tenma shot back almost immediately, before cheerfully tightened is embrace around Taiyou.

"I did answer your letters, I just never had the time to send them to you," he apologized with a lopsided grin. War's side effect was the lack of post services, more than often they got the letters, but they couldn't send anything from their side, because the post office not only lost its main building and everything, that could've been used to administrate letters, but more than often their postmen were either caught or shot. "But they're all here in my bag!"

After he managed to pull away from Tenma's hug, he quickly pulled out a stack of envelopes from his brown messenger bag. The letters were neatly tied together with a thick yellow thread.

"All my sweet words and promises in one long collection. So even when I can't write you, you can just open a new each week."

"Says the one, who kept me waiting for weeks! Taiyou, you're late."

"Hey, if I'd sent them, then half of them would be scattered around the grasslands. Isn't it better this way?"

Tenma grimaced, before poking Taiyou in the side. "Not, when you make someone worry. Next time at least try sending something back with the supply caravan." he was about to say how Nishiki would never lose them, but they both know that Nishiki would probably lose anything if it wasn't stapled to him.

"Roger that!" he winked. Before walking to the door and peeking out to see if someone was coming. "Also Tenma, I was wondering if you would like to wander around with me for a bit. I'm already bored out of my skull and something tells me that the council and our beloved king won't do anything today."

Since they made him wait, Taiyou thought, he deserved some fresh air and a change in scenery.

"Of course!" Tenma said, before another thought suddenly appeared in his mind, "Wait, I have to check the weapons in the storeroom or else Tsurugi will bite my head off at dinner. Last time I completely forgot that and I was assigned to cleaning duty for a week."

"Well, no wonder. It would be unlucky if you ran out of gunpowder in the middle of a battle. But I can totally understand where Tsurugi is coming from. You can be pretty birdbrained."

Tenma pretended not to notice Taiyou's remark.

"Hmmm…" he answered vaguely, seriously thinking about leaving the boy who wore a beaming smile on his face.

"But if you need some help, I could still count a lance or two. And after that you can show me the Pegasus house."

Taiyou was worried about many things that day, and there was an uneasy feeling that lingered in the waiting room. However if there was one thing Tenma did better than anyone, then that was driving away the clouds… and blabbering about the pegasi.

In some way, Taiyou needed both.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Okay, so first chapter is done and wow I never thought that I would write a multi-chaptered mini-spinoff for The Pirate I Was Meant to Be especially not with Raimon as the main stage, but**

 **Yes. Taiyou requires a bit of a background work, because once he shows up, I probably won't be able to write his full story into the chapter, just like I wasn't able to show you Akane's letter because Shindou takes no part in the main story.**

 **If you are interested in Akane's side it can be found on my profile as "My Beloved" It contains her letter, however her means and reasons can be found in the big fic where she takes up the role of a Pirate Lord.**


	2. The Pegasus

Writing down the number of weapons into the storage's notebook went way faster with Taiyou counting everything, while Tenma just filled out the brackets previously made by Minamisawa. That guy was madly in love with order, so no wonder he wanted to make it easy for _himself_ to keep track of the storage's status, even going as far to fill an entire notebook with lines, margins and brackets based on weapon type, numbers, general condition and how many of them was in unusable condition. He'd left some great help for his successor when he decided to side with the dukedom.

Having finished Tenma's tasks for the day, the boys were making their way to the Pegasus stall what was built near the castle. Laughing at the events they missed from the other's life throwing in question after question with excitement in their voice. They both shared the love for flying, finding a topic they've always returned to whenever the conversation was about to turn into a dull comments on their everyday life.

However, while Taiyou mostly saw flying as a crystal-technology, Tenma kept admiring the pegasi and their gigantic wings. However, there was one crucial point what prevented the brunet from achieving his dreams, but this didn't discourage him at all and he kept on trying, while keeping his innocence and positivity. And as Tenma opened the door to the "stalls", Taiyou once again understood why these creatures were so important to the boy.

The pegasi were kept in a field much larger than other horses, with a thin magical web made by their court magician Kariya as an addition to keep the horses from flying away while giving them a way of freedom to stretch their wings. It was a helpful addition as the pegasi knights became more effective during battles thanks to their partners staying in good condition.

"Last week I almost got one to trust me. It came closer and closer and I swear that he almost accepted me, but then Tsurugi called for me and the pegasus ran away…" The boy told him, sitting on the wooden fence.

"Which one was that?" asked Taiyou, watching the boy from the corner of his eye but thankfully, his question seemed to bring back the chirpy mood as Tenma pointed at the white horse standing in the other corner or the field.

"That one over there!"

"Don't tell me you wanted to ride Aoi's pegasus," Taiyou chuckled.

"W-Why? I didn't want to take it away from her or anything. It was just a simple test to see whether or not I'm able to get closer to one."

"Uhum," Taiyou gave him an all-knowing smile. "Why don't you try that overo over there? I think it would suit you better."

Not too far away from them a pegasus with brown and white coat was grazing in the grass, it's bicoloured wings were neatly folded alongside of its body. However, it lacked the atmosphere of purity. Somehow the pegasus reminded Taiyou of the young guard with its out of place colouring.

"Hengroen? No, way. Not even the girls can ride him. I doubt I would have a chance with a monster like that."

"I think you should still try it. Isn't 'We won't know until we try' one of your mottos? It will work out somehow if you believe in yourself and that pegasus."

Tenma shot him a glance, before jumping off the fence and landing on the other side. The youth hesitated, even though the Pegasus was metres away from him. He pursed his lips and for moments he only stared at the colt as if his feet were stuck to the ground. Those minutes felt like hours and Tenma was sure that this time he managed to bond with Hengroen somehow. He boldly took a step forward, only to fall flat on his rear when the horse angrily stood up and spread its wings, flapping them a few times, like an angry crow, before the pegasus hopped away from Tenma, disturbing the peace of its stablemates.

"That horse really has some nasty attitude problems," Taiyou admitted, but in his voice there was some kind of amazement. He rarely saw the Pegasus knights in Arakumo and their meeting was usually brief with only the knights being present. "Is he related to Tsurugi in some way?"

"I told you. No one was able to mount him ever since he was a small foal. "

"There is always a next time. Remember, when Sata said that he can't repair the crystal generator on his own and now he is our best mechanic."

"But machines don't differentiate between men and women," Tenma added walking back to the fence. "And pegasi do."

He spoke the truth. For some reason or other, pegasi only accepted female riders, anyone else was thrown off or trampled when they tried. They say, this type of distinction comes from the fact that both pegasi and unicorns are pure creatures and in some way they sense some kind of kinship with maidens and those who are pure at heart. It might have something to do with men taking up jobs where killing animals and harming others was involved.

"You should just ask Hikaru then. That alchemist apprentice might come up with something that could be used to fool the pegasi, even if it's for a day. A potion, perhaps?"

"No, no, no. I would rather try for years. Just don't make me go to the workshop!"

Tenma's face twisted into a weird grimace as past events flashed through his mind. Not only Hikaru blowing up his workshop, but the times when he asked them to try out his new potions. The young knight, Tenma and the sorcerer Masaki were his favourite Guinea pigs because they couldn't say no to his begging grin.

Asking the alchemist for a potion to fool the pegasi, might come with side effects like turning into one.

"At least you have an alchemist with a workshop! Just how cool is that?"

"Waking up to explosions almost every morning is not so cool," Tenma sighed.

"Well, still better than waking up to Sata hammering something in the garage at dawn. Or trying out the new crystal engine, then failing miserably. Man, the whole guild was engulfed by blue smoke." he grimaced as he went through his memories again. That was one day-off spent with cleaning and scrubbing the walls.

"Would you be so kind and finish your chitchat already?" That voice belonged to Midori, captain of the Pegasus knights. She must've been out of duty because she wore linen trousers and a baggy shirt instead of her regular armour, her expression however, told a completely different story. "Kirino is keeps running around like a headless chicken to find Taiyou. He should've known if it's Tenma, you two end up here."

"Well, he always takes me to show off his pegasi. Next time you notice we might be flying away on a pegasus." Taiyou smiled at Midori, however he almost instantly knew why she was there in the first place. The council must have made a decision regarding Arakumo.

"Whatever. Do what you want, just keep your grabby fingers away from my Pervical! Especially you, Tenma! And Taiyou, you better search for Kirino, now, before he alarms the other knights."

"Okay, okay," Tenma replied without hesitation then he turned to Taiyou "Do you want me to accompany you? I don't have anything to do, so…"

"Oh, no, it's okay." the pilot shook his head. Truth is, he wanted Tenma to go with him, but knowing the council and their way of talking to people it was better if Tenma left this experience out of his life. "Hopefully it will end quickly, without their usual bickering."

"Let's hope for that," Midori nodded. As Taiyou was walking away from them Midori stole one last glance from the corner of her eye, before letting out a sigh. She know it well what was going on and what will happen to Taiyou once he finally stands in front of the old geezers. They always thought about Raimon, what could help Raimon survive, but they never ever thought about making countries, vassals and frontier towns stronger in order to protect the source.

And the problem was how King Takuto shared the same view as them. He went great lengths to assure everything went well within the range of Raimon, but that's all. So probably the council was calling for Taiyou to tell him some sad news. Like not getting more provisions, refusing military support from Arakumo or worse, completely leaving them alone in this situation. After all, it happened before with the fishermen.

"Tenma, you better be ready for whatever to come." he warned the boy. "I have the feeling Taiyou won't be so happy when he gets out of their clutches."

She expected Tenma to be surprised or even ask for her reason, but somehow he too, seemed to understand what was going to happen. "I know. I just can't help but hope that they learned from their previous mistake."

"Well, we both know that the chances are scarce. That's why we have to keep our eyes open. Taiyou is not as peaceful as Akane so he won't walk out in silence."

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

 **A/N:** I think I'm slowly starting to get back my writer mood. Or rather, I finally found some sweet OSTs that go well with the story. Maybe both. I kind of wish I had some way to play FF Crystal Chronicles, but my Wii, sadly never had a slot for Gamecube games. -w- Bummer. But I really really recommend that OST because it fits Raimon's image. If I had to choose something for Arakumo. It would be from Grandia.

 **Also reviews are greatly appreciated. So please, if you would be so kind and leave one, it would make my day!**


	3. True Courage

And that night Tenma wished that Midori's hunch was false. Just once in his life, he wanted to believe that everything went well and he didn't need to worry about Taiyou. But the pilot was late and the hour was nearing midnight.

 _The council must've given him a hard time_ , Tenma tried to calm himself.

The young knight had Taiyou's unsent letters spread across the table, each of them had the date which it was supposed to be sent to him. His fingers kept fidgeting with the first one and he managed to almost open it, just by playing with the sealed part. Probably, if he opened one of them, that would calm his nerves, but he knew it well that he couldn't focus on the contents.

"People will start taking, if you keep sitting at your desk looking at letters like a lovelorn maiden."

The voice brought him back from the maze of thoughts. Taiyou flashed a weak smile toward him. "Sorry for being late," he apologized, but Tenma only shook his head.

"I'm just glad that you are okay."

However, when he looked at Taiyou he almost immediately regretted his words. The pilot was far from okay and Tenma didn't need to ask twice why. He knew Taiyou and his little tricks almost too well by now, so nothing could escape Tenma's attention. The reassuring weak smile was a warning sign, along with the thin lips and the small twitch which came from forcing that expression too long.

"Taiyou… I… I'm sorry," he managed to say it out loud at least, erasing all traces of fakery from the pilots face.

"If there is anyone who doesn't need to apologize in this kingdom, it's you," he sighed, pulling out a chair. "Those lapdogs up there can only recite what their leader says. Heck, even the king, I say, the king said, that our case can't go on because they couldn't find any evidence. I'm not surprised that Lady Akane decided to hop from this place forever."

He finally vented his pent up anger, hoping to wound those who caused his misery. He gritted his teeth and his voice started trembling, "What kind of evidence do they need?! Arakumo is dying. Isn't this enough evidence for his highness?"

"Taiyou, what on earth happened in Arakumo?" Tenma asked with a guilt-ridden tone. He never asked Taiyou about Arakumo, because it never really appeared in their conversations and Taiyou always managed to jump away from the topic whenever Tenma tried to bring it up, to the point where it was natural for them to completely avoid talking about it.

Realization flickered through Taiyou's eyes as he remembered how he always kept his visits at the council a secret in front of Tenma. He didn't want him to worry, so pretended that he only came for reports. He tried to pour the events and his feelings into letters, but now that they were together he would be a better messenger than those piece of papers.

"As you know, we're at war," he started, looking at Tenma. Taiyou's voice tinged with faint disgust as he continued. "Since Arakumo is on the border, we constantly get raided by Seidouzan. First they only kept harming the merchants, but then they scorched down our fields… We started relying on Raimon's resources. And what did they do? Send a small caravan twice a month. It's barely enough for us to live by. Sometimes we go days eating only the bare minimum required to just… function. I came here to request more supplies."

"And they refused..?" Now it was Tenma's turn to get angry. He couldn't believe something like this could go on for long, especially not in the kingdom of Raimon. He always thought that the kingdom and the king he served were always there for his subjects. To think, that Taiyou was starving on the other side of the country…

"Well, obviously yes. A frontier town is hard to supervise and gives many openings to steal some money out of the treasury. According to the king, they're sending enough, however the council makes sure to send just enough to keep Arakumo alive. I thought, if I asked for more frequent deliveries, I could get them to send more… But it was a useless attempt."

"But you have merchants too, right?"

"But we have no money. Arakumo is a mountain village with nothing to sell. Our only value is the crystal technology, but we can't just sell that because it would mean that our only barrier keeping both Raimon and Seidouzan at bay disappears."

Crystal technology was as ancient as their continent, or some would say. However, the only ones who could successfully master them were the residents of Arakumo. No one really understood why. Probably they had attained some kind of natural resonance over the years the residents were exposed to the minerals. They could use them to fight, or simply just fly in machines by harvesting the crystals power.

Because of its uniqueness, Seidouzan kept its distance and went on a passive-aggressive battle with them, but they were at their wits end. Raimon was refusing to help them, seemingly pushing the crystal user toward the invading nation. Soon, they would be at the state where even their enemies were more tempting than starving to death.

If Tenma had known the full story, he would feel terrible and it would certainly shake his belief in the kingdom. Taiyou could not allow that, so he tried to take a small detour in order to lighten up the mood.

"But we just found out that some crystals can be used as long range weapons! I can't wait to show you as soon as we—hey, what's wrong?"

"Why didn't you say a word about this?"

"I wanted to. But… whenever I'm with you, I don't want to focus on my problems. I do that enough," he reached out and put a hand on Tenma's shoulder. "I was selfishly reserving happiness for myself. Sorry."

Like this could solve anything.

"We are friends," Tenma raised his voice, but it was still too weak from trying to keep his emotions in check. "This means you can tell me anything, you could've told me and-"

"What could you do, Tenma? You can't just walk up to the king and say that someone told you Arakumo was struggling. Please, believe me when I say, I only did what was best in the situation. I didn't want you to bear this burden alone in a court where Arakumo is just an additional loss."

"Well, you can drop any kind of burden on me!" Tenma stared at him, shoulders slightly trembling. "If that means that I'll suffer too, and then be it. You helped me through so many hardships already and you always been there for me. It hurts… It hurts to think that even now, you only looked at what was best for me."

Now this was surprising. Taiyou expected Tenma to start shouting, get angry and then bring up the importance of mutual trust. He never expected him to look at the problem from this point of view.

"I wouldn't be called Amemiya Taiyou if I ever let you suffer on my behalf," he smiled, earning a soft sigh from Tenma. "It would break my heart, honestly."

"But we are at war. You know, I might look carefree but this doesn't mean that I'm unaware of our current situation."

"I know it's just…" There was no reason to try saving the situation." Sorry. I should've told you about this sooner."

"That's right. I'm your friend after all."

"Yes, yes you are." A yawn forced its way to his lips. "So, what do you say, can this friend of yours hit the couch for tonight?"

"Sure," Tenma nodded, before quickly adding. "But only if you wake me up before you go. Last time, I couldn't even say hi and you were already back in Arakumo."

While Tenma's mind was lulled back to a generally pleasant and fuzzy state, in the back of his head, there was a feeling which kept bothering him. It lingered there, only to come up each time his eyes met with Taiyou's.

He thought of losing him forever. Selfishly, he wished to keep Taiyou in Raimon, but there was no way the pilot would listen to his pleas.

With this the ugly thought was sent back to the deepest and darkest corner of his mind. Knowing it well that he couldn't avoid the inevitable, he decided to stay strong and cherish their moments together.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **For those, who were expecting a big epic like The Pirate I was Meant to Be, I'm sorry. To my defence, I always wanted to try out this story-writing where we see the major events leading to the end, but we can still fill the holes in the plot easily.**


End file.
